Jammu: Amid war fears, border dwellers want urgent repair to bunkers

With tensions escalating along the India-Pakistan border and fears of war looming large, border villagers of Jammu are urgently appealing for the repair and completion of pending construction work on that serve as their only shield during cross-border shelling.

The recent in south Kashmir's Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 Indian civilians, has shattered the fragile peace brought about by the 2021 ceasefire agreement between the two nations, since India has claimed cross-border links to the attack, allegedly perpetrated by an affiliate of the Pakistan-backed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Following the deadly attack on the civilians, mostly tourists, have broken out along the Line of Control (LoC), particularly in the border district of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir. According to Indian military sources, there have been reports of by Pakistani troops across the LoC over multiple nights. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported yet.

As anxiety surges in border villages, residents say the "deteriorating state" of bunkers has left them vulnerable. Located just 500 m from Pakistani posts, villages like Chandu Chak — which has previously endured shelling in 2020, 2018, and 2014 — have a handful of bunkers, many of which are incomplete or unusable.

“Most bunkers are in ruins. There is no electricity, no water, no toilets — some even lack roofs,” said Suchet Singh, a resident of Chandu Chak. “They were left unfinished two years ago. We don’t know why the work stopped."

On ground in Kashmir, our new normal” -on night of 02-03 Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked small‑arms fire across LoC opposite Kupwara, Uri, & Akhnoor”
Indian Army responded promptly & proportionately”. I spent the day at an LoC village. pic.twitter.com/tXFZkRiBZU

— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) May 3, 2025

Built under the Narendra Modi government's initiative to provide safety for border dwellers, many bunkers have fallen into disrepair owing to poor maintenance and oversight. Singh added, “These bunkers have saved lives before, but in their current condition, they can barely protect anyone.”

Paramjeet Kour (56) pointed to a half-built bunker in her village and asked, “Where will we take our children and livestock if shelling starts again? We are poor. The government must complete this bunker immediately.”

Young residents share the same fear, seeking intervention of PM Modi. Manjoot Choudhary, a class six student, said, “Modi ji should fix our bunker’s roof. I have seen the shelling before — it is very scary.”

The psychological toll is evident too among border dwellers as they fear that war is imminent. “We can’t sleep at night. Every sound terrifies us,” said a resident.

“We have lost family members before. The fear is constant. Farm life, too, has been disrupted. Our fields lie abandoned. No one dares to step out for fear of the shelling,” said Jaspaul, another villager.

Many villages along the International Border — including Jorafarm, Mahashe-de-Kothe, Bulla Chak, Mangu Chak, Abdullian, Korotana Kalan, Pindi, Kotli Shah Doula, Pindi Charakan, Sai, and Treva — are raising similar concerns, urging the government to expedite bunker repairs.

Rajouri, J&K: Amid rising tensions post-Pahalgam terror attack, Rajouri’s border villages, especially Nambla near the LoC, are living in fear. Locals have taken shelter in underground bunkers. Authorities, including the DC, DIG and SSP Rajouri, are closely monitoring the… pic.twitter.com/skq0I03wVn

— IANS (@ians_india) May 1, 2025

According to officials, 7,923 bunkers (6,964 individual and 959 community) have been completed so far in Jammu division. Work is still ongoing on 9,905 more bunkers in various stages of construction. The sanctioned number includes 13,029 individual and 1,431 community bunkers, designed to shelter eight and forty people, respectively.

In some areas like Arnia, residents have taken preparations into their own hands. Located 5 km from the International Border (IB), Arnia town, with a population of over 18,500, resembled a ghost town in 2020 and 2018, with only a few people and some policemen left in its adjoining hamlets to take care of animals and guard houses following heavy shelling.

“We have 50 individual and seven community bunkers here. Power has been restored, and they are stocked with rations,” said local Sunil Choudhary. “We are ready for any eventuality," he added.

But along with fear, anger is brewing. “The Pahalgam attack was a massacre. Pakistan must pay for it. We want a strong response from the Modi government — enough is enough,” Choudhary added.

Balbir, another resident, echoed this sentiment. “We have harvested our crops early. Our bunkers are ready. But now we want action, not just protection," he said, adding that India must give a "befitting reply" to Pakistan so that it does not "dare do such acts again".

As the border heats up, these frontline villagers — living under constant threat — are demanding both safety and action against Pakistan.

With PTI inputs